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How driving reflects your attitude towards others

You woke up late and have to be somewhere in less time than it takes to get there, so you speed and cut people off on the road to get there as quickly as possible – we’ve all been there, or at least seen this situation play out.

If “character is who you are when no one’s watching,” what does driving say about people?

Regardless of the situation, the way we interact with the world around us when we’re protected within the private bubble of a personal vehicle might reveal one of the truest forms of ourselves. Driving habits give a good indication as to how individuals really feel about themselves and others.

When we view ourselves more highly than those around us, we are more likely to put our own needs above theirs. Feeling more important than those around you on the road can naturally result in cutting people off or speeding. We especially see this in construction traffic, when cars zoom past cars in the backed up lanes to merge into those lanes ahead of others. These driving habits can be signs of self-centeredness and disrespect for others.

Philippians 2:3-4 says: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Driving in a way that puts your own schedule above others’ is contrary to what scripture tells us – to value others above ourselves.

Zooming passed one another on the roads says, “My matters are more pressing than yours and I have better places to be than wherever you’re going. You’re merely a road block in my path.” Moreover, cutting off another car yells the message that you are more important than they are in that moment. These attitudes disregard the human in the other car – another human with a destination, a family and a checklist for the day’s task.

When driving, it’s easy to just see the car and forget that there’s a human life in each vehicle. Taking ourselves out of the cars, though, and placing us in a grocery store, the dynamic changes entirely. The often-hasty behavior of cutting one another off is not as common on the way to the checkout line. When someone is walking slowly up to the register, people don’t tend to speed up around them and place their items on the conveyor belt first. This difference in attitude and behavior seems to be a direct correlation between seeing someone else as a human versus seeing them as just another car on the road.

If hasty driving indicates pride and an egocentric mentality, then abiding by the laws and driving responsibly shows respect and love for others and shows a view of equality for everyone.

When we stop to remember the other cars on the road have other human beings in them, our attitude shifts to one of more understanding and respect. Although it’s easier to make snap judgments about other drivers’ behaviors, it is important to examine our own behaviors and mentality. As Christians, we’re called to love one another. A simple – though difficult – way to start doing this on even the smallest level is to give a little more grace when we drive. Leave early, take it slow and remember that within every car, there is another creation of God.

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